The Safe Third Country reform strengthens the ability of Member States to process inadmissible asylum applications more quickly. The current obligation to prove an individual “connection” between an applicant and a third country is no longer the only legal basis for applying the concept. Member States will now be able to rely on three alternative grounds: a connection as defined in national law, transit through the third country, or an agreement or arrangement with that country. The proposal also reduces procedural delays by limiting the automatic suspensive effect of appeals. Together, these changes make the mechanism more operational and more consistent with the need for faster returns to safe third countries outside the EU.
The Safe Country of Origin proposal establishes, for the first time, a common European list of countries where persecution is presumed unlikely. This will harmonise national practices, accelerate procedures for clearly unfounded applications, and allow Member States to focus resources on cases requiring genuine protection. The initial list includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.
The ESN Group, through its MEPs Milan Uhrík, Mary Khan and Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, supported both texts because they represent a shift toward more realistic and effective migration management. While these measures do not go far enough, they move the European Parliament in the right direction by improving the speed, clarity and predictability of asylum procedures, strengthening returns, and giving Member States the tools they need to prevent abuse of the system.
These votes demonstrate the emergence of a new political majority willing to correct years of misguided migration policies. ESN played an active role throughout the negotiations and remains a constructive and reliable partner in restoring control over Europe’s borders.
